Supplemental Instruction Vol. 3

1 Experiences of Supplemental Instruction at Two Scandinavian Universities Roger Helde, Elisabeth Suzen & Joakim Malm Abstract: This article examines experiences regarding Supplemental Instruction (SI) at two Scandinavian Universities. The purpose of the study is to describe the basis for and implementation of SI programmes at the two schools, and to compare their similarities and differences. Our research questions are as follows: what were the reasons and background for implementing SI? How was the SI programme founded, prioritised, and made visible and more widespread? What type of research and results relating to SI have been put forward? What challenges and success factors have been experienced during the implementation and integration of the SI programme? The study employs a qualitative design, aiming to provide in-depth information about the universities’ implementation and organisation of SI programmes. A case study approach allows us to study the SI programmes as a process and activity, since case studies provide the opportunity to explore or describe a phenomenon in context. To describe the cases, we selected a set of factors to focus on, including: reasons for introducing and implementing SI, prime advocates, integration and communication, research on SI, and successes and challenges. Our results show that the two universities give the same reasons for introducing SI, but differ in their organisation and integration of the SI programme. 1. Introduction Supplemental Instruction (SI) is currently used in around a thousand higher education institutes (HEIs) worldwide (Power, 2010). It is likely that these HEIs have different reasons for and experiences with implementing SI, yet they all provide op- portunities for learning from those experiences. In this chapter, we present a study of the SI programme at two universities, Lund University in Sweden and Nord Uni- versity in Norway. The purpose is to describe the basis for and implementation of SI programmes at the two schools, and to compare their similarities and differences. A case study approach allows us to study the SI programmes as a process and activity, since case studies provide the opportunity to explore or describe a phenomenon in context (Baxter & Jack, 2008). Stake (2005) claims that choosing the case that offers an opportunity to learn may also mean selecting the most accessible one, or the one on which we can spend the most time. For that reason, we have chosen Lund and Nord Universities as cases in this study. Both universities have had SI programmes for long enough to have gained substantial experience of them. In the research, we have focused on the background and reasoning for introducing SI at the universities, the organisation and life of the SI programmes, success factors and challenges, and research conducted on SI at the campuses. 12 Roger Helde, Elisabeth Suzen & Joakim Malm What factors are important to the successful implementation and execution of an educational programme? Previous studies of the implementation of measures in higher education show that the internal organisation of the institution plays a key role in this respect (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004; Stensaker, Maassen, Borgan, Oftebro, & Karseth, 2007). The measures must have the support of both the management and those who are going to carry them out in practice. This necessitates a common understanding between management and staff in terms of their expectations of the measure being clarified and harmonised. Without active management support, the measures are more often sporadic and random, regardless of how good the plan or intention. Training in, and the structure and content of, the programme are also significant, as well as how the measure is integrated in the institution as a whole (Nordahl, Gravrok, Knudsmoen, Larsen, & Rörnes, 2006). There are a number of key factors that can be crucial to the implementation and life of an SI programme at a higher education institution. However, previous studies have shown that it is not the administrative placement of an SI programme that is crucial, and it is recommended that researchers ‘investigate other campus cultural factors that might have a more influential role in supporting the success of academic enrich- ment programmes like SI than just focusing on the narrow variable of administrative placement’ (Arendale, 2001, p. 254). Our study shows what these key factors may be, how they may be applied in practice, and how they can affect the implementation of an SI programme. We have not looked at the content of the SI programmes as such, but rather their implementation and organisation at two universities. 2. Method and Data Collection This study employs a qualitative design, aiming to provide in-depth information about the universities’ implementation and organisation of SI programmes. The cases were chosen because we believe that understanding them will lead to better compre- hension of an even larger collection of cases. In an instrumental multiple-case study, it is not the case that is dominant, but the issue (Stake, 2005). This requires two or three focused research questions that help to structure the data collection (Stake, 1995). Our research questions are as follows: • What were the reasons and background for implementing SI? • How was the SI programme founded, prioritised, and made visible and more widespread? • What type of research and results relating to SI have been put forward? • What challenges and success factors have been experienced during the implementation and integration of the SI programme? 1 Experiences of Supplemental Instruction at Two Scandinavian Universities 13 2.1 Data collection To describe the cases, we selected a set of factors to focus on, including: reasons for introducing and implementing SI, prime advocates, integration and communication, research on SI, and successes and challenges. Multiple sources were selected to cap- ture the complexity of the cases. Data were collected through interviews, personal correspondence, (strategic) documents, course descriptions, research, websites, and other media. The researchers also collected information about the historical develop- ment through personal (written and verbal) communication with the staff responsible for the SI programme when it was introduced at the universities – Leif Bryngfors at Lund University and Bård Toldnes at Nord University. These employees still work at their respective schools and are involved in the SI programmes to varying degrees. In line with Stake’s (1995) approach, a considerable proportion of all data were gathered informally as we first became acquainted with the case. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the persons running the SI programmes at the two universities. We also emphasised an approach whereby we consolidated, reduced, and interpreted the interviews and document resources to make meaning of both what was said and written, and how we saw and read it. This process of making meaning is the process of analysing data (Merriam, 1998). All three authors are employed at the two universities included in the study. This causes a consciousness regarding our role as researchers, which is a technique used to ensure reliability (Merriam, 1998): When it becomes important to study one’s own organisation or workplace, I typically recommend that multiple strategies of validation be used to ensure that the account is accurate and insightful. (Cresswell, 2007, p. 122) Although qualitative research does not include a validation process because validation is from an opposing epistemology, Merriam (1998) presents some strategies used to enhance internal validity. We have applied three of them: member checks, participa- tory research, and triangulation. We also emphasised thorough descriptions to ensure the quality of our work. In our study we have chosen to describe the historical contexts first, including the reasons for implementing SI at the two case universities. Thereafter, we look into the SI programmes in practice, and we conclude by looking at the research conducted on SI at the universities as well as success factors and challenges. 3. Case 1, Lund University 3.1 A History of SI at Lund University A delegation from Lund University came across SI during a study trip in the United States in the early 1990s. Inspired by the information about the peer learning programme, two colleagues from academic support attended a supervisor training at the 1 Experiences of Supplemental Instruction at Two Scandinavian Universities 15 ideas behind the initiative were recruitment (to reach new student groups) and to establish links between upper-secondary schools and the university. The SI initiative in secondary schools expanded considerably through a regional SI platform in 2016, with an overarching goal of securing the competence provision in the southern region of Sweden. Today, five HEIs, with Lund University as a major hub, cooperate with secondary schools in the majority of municipalities in the regions of Skåne, Blekinge, and Halland (Fredriksson, Bryngfors, & Mörner, 2018). The idea is to provide links through SI all the way to elementary school by having older pupils serve as SI Leaders for younger pupils. Lund University was the first HEI in Scandinavia to introduce SI in higher education. In 2001, it also became the National Centre for SI in Sweden and the surround- ing countries. This meant that a certified trainer from Lund could train staff at other universities in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark to become SI supervisors and start their own SI programmes. This has led to a rather extensive expansion of HEIs in Scandinavia over the last 20 years, primarily in Sweden. More than 300 staff members at over 30 HEIs have been trained as SI supervisors, as well as numerous teachers from secondary schools. In 2016, the Scandinavian SI centre merged with the UK PASS centre to form the European Centre for SI-PASS, located at Lund University. The European Centre, together with the former national centres, have trained almost 1,000 SI supervisors in 13 countries. 3.2 The SI Programme at Lund University The SI programme at Lund University consists of several independent SI programmes.

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